When Wayne Bennett brought Allan Langer back from England for his Origin fairytale in 2001, one of the first people the super coach thought about was Paul Green. Green was Queensland’s incumbent halfback. He had steered a youthful Maroons side with a raft of debutants to a magical 34-16 thumping of the Blues in the
Kurt Capewell has vowed to bring his winning touch to the Maroons and Broncos as the Penrith premiership utility embarks on a new NRL chapter on Queensland soil. After six years in Sydney carving out a successful NRL career at Cronulla and Penrith, the kid from Charleville returns to the Sunshine State determined to reignite
TOM Flegler believes he “got lucky” winning his maiden Queensland Origin jumper last year. But the Broncos firebrand admits he cannot ride his luck again if he hopes to retain his Maroons jumper for Queensland’s Origin revenge mission in 2022. In State of Origin’s 41-year history, there have been few bolters quite like Flegler, who
Former Crushers captain Trevor Gillmeister says the Dolphins will succeed where the now-defunct South Queensland club could not by attracting fans who support the game, rather than the club. The Dolphins have the green light to join the NRL as its 17th franchise in 2023, and are wasting no time being aggressive in the player
DOLPHINS coach-in-waiting Wayne Bennett believes the NRL’s decision to expand the competition to include a second Brisbane team to rival the Broncos will double as a boost for Queensland’s State of Origin program. Bennett found an ally in new Queensland Origin coach Billy Slater, who says a fourth NRL club in the Sunshine State will
In a year when so many things in rugby league went away from the script, it probably makes sense that the footy gods would turn their back on a grand final fairytale to deliver Penrith a stunning 14-12 premiership triumph over Souths in the season decider at Suncorp Stadium. The Panthers bagged their third premiership,
CHRIS Walker concedes he may be accused of being biased, but the former Maroons flyer is adamant it is only a matter of time before his nephew, Roosters sensation Sam Walker, plays State of Origin for Queensland. The 18-year-old is the talk of the rugby league world following his head-spinning entry to the NRL in
QUEENSLAND’s two most recent coaches Wayne Bennett and Kevin Walters have paid tribute to Michael Morgan and Jake Friend in the wake of their sudden retirements from the NRL. The Queensland Origin family was rocked last week when Morgan and Friend drew the curtain on their glittering careers, just 48 hours apart, after both waged
JARROD Wallace admits he was “gutted” to be axed by the Maroons for last year’s Origin series and is hoping a bumper fightback with the Titans this season can catapult him back into a Queensland jumper. Wallace has carved out a reputation as a quality NRL front-rower, having amassed 152 first-grade games since his debut
Former Queensland captain and Broncos premiership winner Trevor Gillmeister says the entire state is hoping Kevin Walters can pull Brisbane out of the mire in 2021 – because the future success of the Maroons is depending on it. The Broncos suffered a cataclysmic implosion last year, with the once proud club disintegrating and finishing with
